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No evidence for carryover effect in tree rings based on a pulse-labelling experiment on Juniperus communis in South Germany

He M, Bräuning A, Rossi S, Gebrekirstos A, Grießinger J, Mayr C, Peng C, Yang B (2020)

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Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2020

Journal

DOI: 10.1007/s00468-020-02051-1

Abstract

Key message: A clear carryover effect of tree-ring formation was not detected based on a pulse-labelling experiment conducted on Juniperus communis in South Germany. Abstract: The inherent linkage between photosynthesis and the formation of wood is important for the understanding of relationships between tree-ring series and climate/environmental data in dendroclimatology studies. However, it is impossible to reach a mechanistic procedure of tree stem radial growth depending on its carbon balance from a traditional statistical point of view alone. Pulse labelling experiment with stable carbon isotope (¹³CO2) has provided innovative insights into the fate of recently assimilated carbon in organs and carbon-containing compounds. In this study, we conducted an in situ pulse labelling experiment on 27 July 2016 to examine the response of tree ring and different-aged needles to short-term elevated ¹³CO2 of a juniper shrub growing on a heathland in South Germany. New and old needles from four expositions were sampled before and after the experiment. A wood segment was taken from the main branch and stable carbon isotope composition (δ¹³C) was analysed at an intra-annual time scale. Before the experiment, the mean δ¹³C was − 26.8 ± 0.4‰ (mean ± standard deviation) for both needle ages, while woody tissue showed about 3‰ higher δ¹³C compared to needles. Substantial enriched ¹³C was detected in the needles after the experiment. New needles showed significant higher δ¹³C than the old ones 1–7 days after the experiment. Significant enriched δ¹³C was detected in the wood from 35 to 61% of the annual tree ring in 2016, indicating that the short-term enrichment of ¹³C can affect wood formation for a large section. No enhancement in ¹³C signal appeared in the tree ring of the subsequent year 2017, suggesting the absence of a carryover effect. Wood formation did not reply on the carbohydrates stored even 1 year before and thus tree-ring ecophysiological modelling as well as dendrochronological studies should therefore benefit from such result.

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APA:

He, M., Bräuning, A., Rossi, S., Gebrekirstos, A., Grießinger, J., Mayr, C.,... Yang, B. (2020). No evidence for carryover effect in tree rings based on a pulse-labelling experiment on Juniperus communis in South Germany. Trees-Structure and Function. https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00468-020-02051-1

MLA:

He, Minhui, et al. "No evidence for carryover effect in tree rings based on a pulse-labelling experiment on Juniperus communis in South Germany." Trees-Structure and Function (2020).

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